Conservative "Drubbing" In Australia: Polls

"Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has warned his government that it risks "annihilation" by the opposition Labor Party in elections later this year. A string of opinion polls suggests the Labor Party would sweep Mr Howard's conservative coalition from power as he seeks a fifth-term in office.

The polls indicate strong support for Labor's new leader, Kevin Rudd.

Mr Howard is expected to call an election after he hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Forum in September.

Strong economy

"The public opinion polls suggest we would not just lose, but be annihilated," Mr Howard told a closed meeting of his coalition's MPs, a government spokesman said.

Labor's support in opinion polls is the highest it has been since Mr Howard was first elected prime minister in 1996.

Despite a strong economy and a big-spending pre-election budget, Mr Howard has found himself on the wrong side of public opinion in a range of global issues from support for the Iraq war to refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol, says the BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney.

But Mr Howard has said he intends to run for office again later this year. He told his MPs that they should remind voters of the consequences of change.

"People think the economy is so good that the Labor Party can't muck it up... We need to recognise our problem to do anything about it."

Story courtesy BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6680003.stm